BAE Systems agees £2.5bn Typhoon jet deal with Oman

British defence manufacturer BAE Systems has formally agreed a deal to sell as many as twenty aircraft Oman in a deal worth more than £2.5bn

The company, Europe's biggest defence firm, will provide 12 of its Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets and eight of its Hawk training jets to the Gulf state.

Work to start building the aircraft will begin in 2014, with the first jets due for delivery in 2017.

The news comes after earlier this month BAE Systems agreed a £1.2bn deal with the Ministry of Defence to design and manufacture the Royal Navy's new attack submarine HMS Audacious.

But the most important deal for the company, the proposed 'salam' deal with Saudi Arabia, is yet to be resolved. BAE says the £4.5bn deal for 72 Typhoon jets with the Middle East nation could impact profits for 2012 if an agreement on price cannot be reached by the 21 February.